Hello and happy Friday…and happy September 1st! The {-ber} months are here, and I’m ready for them.
Also…who is ready for a three day weekend?! {this girl!}
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Last Saturday, Hayden (and Coach Travis!) had the first official cross country meet of the season. It was a pretty hot day, but Hayden ran a great race and placed 1st! The girls and boys team had a strong showing, considering many of the runners are in the sixth grade.
After the race, Travis and I hurried to get the kids home so that we could head to Nashville for a friend’s birthday.
We were a hot sweaty mess after the race, so we quickly showered, packed and got the kids where they needed to be before hitting the road.
It’s about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Nashville/Franklin, and once we got to our hotel, we had to quickly change to head to the party.
The party was at Stable Reserve not far from our hotel.
Two songwriters performed for about an hour. They have a total of nine number one country music songs…including Walker Hayes’ Fancy Like and a new that’s on the radio, Tucson Too Late which just now hit the radio.
It was really neat to hear them perform. Then there was a break in the music in another songwriter was there to sing for another hour long set.
We had a great time catching up with our friends including Lexington friends we don’t see often enough.
After the party, we made a pitstop at a wine bar before hanging out at the hotel lobby / bar just catching up.
Once we woke up Sunday morning, we headed home. I wish we had more time there, but we had to get back to the kids and get ready for the week.
Favorite Foods:
At our hotel, there was a little spot for breakfast. Travis and I picked up coffee to go and I saw these “grab the gold” bars. I’ve heard of them, but had never seen them in person. This was my snack for the car ride home, and it was really good. It reminded me of a no bake cookie.
On the drive home from Nashville, I placed my Kroger order and decided to make this Cheeseburger Biscuit recipe from Pinterest for dinner. It is definitely a family favorite now.
Hadley and I went to Trader Joe’s on Monday after school and the Salsa Verde tortilla chips were one of the samples. I had one chip and knew we needed to bring a bag home. Lol.
They are so good.
Favorite Mom Meme:
So tired by Friday…
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
Here’s Hayden running in the same spot on the same course in both sixth grade and now in eighth grade. He looks both so similar and so different to me now.
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts from the week which included a little bit of everything…memes, books, and musings!
What are your weekend plans? I’m so happy to not set an alarm for the next three days! The kids have plans with friends tonight, Hayden has a meet tomorrow, and maybe we’ll try to get some pool time in this weekend.
How was your weekend? We had a really good one. Well, I was asleep by 9:30 on Friday night, and I predict I will do the same this Friday. Those early alarm clocks and long days caught up with me.
On Saturday evening, we went to Hadley’s friend’s bat mitzvah, and we had so much fun with our friends too.
Sunday was all about getting back into a routine including church, groceries, laundry and more.
Anyway, it’s already the second Monday of the month, so I’m linking up with some of my favorite bloggers for our Not Just a Mom post.
Well, I’ve shared this crossbody/belt bag a few times this summer, and it’s been my “go to” bag all summer. (I tend to switch out bags per season –I usually carry my “hobo” crossbody bag in the fall and spring and then my bigger Barrington tote in the winter)
Anyway, this crossbody has truly fit my needs this summer.
…and what’s inside? Not much!
The white zip pouch holds my credit cards, some cash, lip glass, chapstick, and Airpods. I also always have a pair of sunglasses, a pen, my phone, and my Invisalign case…and that’s it.
I continue to be impressed with myself (haha) for packing a carry-on suitcase, not once, but twice this summer, so I’m going to share about that today too!
So, I’d packed my medium sized suitcase to go to KC because I didn’t have a smaller one for myself.
When I flew to Florida, I borrowed Trav’s carry-on suitcase, but he needed his, so I borrowed Hadley’s once we got to KC. She’d packed using packing cubes, so she just used those when I had her suitcase in California.
The kids have had these suitcases for a couple of years, and they’ve held up nicely.
Since I’m still a “chronic” over-packer, my mom let me use her “compression” packing cubes. I’d never even heard of those! She said she saw them on the Today Show and has used them for travel.
I really was able to pack a few more things because of them.
Here’s how they looked in the suitcase:
Under the biggest one, I was able to put a pair of heels (that I didn’t end up wearing), my tennis shoes (that I only wore once), and my crossbody purse.
My flip flops and flat sandals were under the other packing cubes on the other side of the suitcase.
The only “downside” to these cubes is that they aren’t mesh/see-through to know what’s in them. That being said, I was able to remember what was in each one because I still grouped clothes together.
From top to bottom:
Biggest –5 dresses and crepe top/shorts set
Medium –2 swim suits, 2 pjs, cap sleeve sweater
Medium/large – 2 swim cover-ups, 2 workout leggings, 2 workout tanks, a pair of black shorts, one t-shirt
Small –underwear, bras, socks
I also packed a long sleeve light-weight sweater and light-weight sweatshirt that I just put on top of the packing cubes.
I wore most everything – I guess I didn’t need the heeled sandals, and I probably could have done without my tennis shoes, but I wanted to commit to working out at least one day (and I did). Also, sometimes we go for hikes, but we didn’t this time. I did get a long walk in two days, but that was mostly on the beach, so I didn’t need the tennis shoes.
There was one dress I didn’t wear, but otherwise, I did a pretty good job wearing what I packed.
I also used my Walmart bag that I got earlier this summer as my other carry-on again. Honestly, this bag was packed full and kind of heavy, but it fit right on top of the suitcase when I pushed it through the airport.
I even got lucky and on the flights back to KC, there was room in the overhead bins for both my suitcase and my bag, so I had a lot more space to stretch my legs.
In my travel bag:
I bought these clear zip travel bags last summer, and they’ve come in handy for all of us when we travel.
White jewelry pouch
Two books, Word search book
White cosmetic bag – makeup, medicine, deodorant, toothbrush, etc.
Brush and curling iron,
Clear zip pouch – chargers (phone, Kindle, watch, and portable charger)
Kindle
Clear zip pouch – skincare products
Sound machine
Then- I usually wore my cardigan, and put my hat on top of the bag
Overall, I know it’s easier to pack in the summer because the clothes are lighter, but I’m so glad I figured this carry-on suitcase out. It was so nice to just get on and off the plane…especially when we landed in KC after midnight!
I can’t wait to read others’ posts about what’s in their handbag…but bear with me as I’m sure this week will be hectic getting back to school with students!
Next month’s topic is about sharing our hobbies. We hope you’ll join us then too whether you are reading our posts or blogging.
Today definitely feels like a Monday; we still have two more work days, and then the students come on Wednesday.
Thanks for reading,
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Shew…it’s already Thursday. I swear the summer weeks flew by, but I’ve been so busy this week that it’s flown by as well.
Yesterday, I shared about what the kids did while in KC, and today, I’m sharing a recap of my trip to California with Travis.
Most years Travis heads to Del Mar the end of July/early August for work. He has clients in California that he checks in on and some of them have horses running at Del Mar. The Del Mar racing meet for the summer is the end of July to around Labor Day.
So, the timing with back to school isn’t ideal, but I try to tag along the years that I can.
Wednesday:
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I drove the kids to KC last Sunday and then I flew out of KC on Wednesday (and Travis flew out of Lex) and we met in San Diego.
My dad dropped me off at the (new and improved) KCI airport around 8:15 for my 9:45 flight. Since I had a carry-on suitcase (yay!) and security was a breeze, I was at my gate by 8:30.
I flew from KC to Denver and made a sprint through the Denver airport to make my connecting flight to San Diego.
While it would have been nice to have a few extra minutes in the airport, I was very thankful everything was on time and smooth sailing. I arrived around 12:30.
Travis arrived about an hour and a half before me which gave him time to pick up the rental car and do some work.
Since we were in downtown San Diego, we parked and walked around Little Italy. We ate lunch at the Farmer’s Table. My gnocchi was delish.
Then, we drove about thirty minutes to Del Mar. Travis booked our place on Airbnb. It was a vacation rental calledWave Crest. It was really nice, and the 90’s kid in me kept thinking about the tv show Melrose Place. haha
I will say the only “down side” was that the train tracks were busy, and those trains honk their horns. I never heard it at night…I know they went by, but I didn’t hear the honking then.
Our room wasn’t ready yet, so they gave us a key to the pool, and we hung out for about thirty minutes. This was the view from the pool area:
Our place was a one bedroom that was really spacious. There was enough space and pull out couch that I truly think we would have been comfortable there, space-wise, if we had the kids with us.
Our place overlooked Seagrove Park.
Once we unpacked, we headed to the beach for a bit. The water is definitely colder, but you can’t beat the air temps!
When we went back to the resort, we realized it was “Wine Night,” so we had a glass of wine along with some cheese and crackers while enjoying the view.
Then, Trav ran to store for a few things like water, strawberries, beer, wine and a few snacks.
We got dressed, and walked…
…to a restaurant on the beach called Poseidon. We eat there most every time we go to Del Mar. We ended up seeing one of Trav’s clients, and some Lexington people. I had fish tacos for dinner, and the sunset over the ocean was pretty.
Around 9, we headed back to room and watched some tv before bed. The only thing I don’t like about travelling out west…the time change!
Thursday:
I woke up around 6, but made myself go back to sleep. When I woke up at 7, Travis was gone, but he’d left me a large coffee from Starbucks.
While he was at the track watching the horses workout, I just relaxed, watched tv, and hung out.
We went to breakfast at one of Trav’s favorite spots in Solano Beach…Claire’s on Cedros. I got the avocado toast, and it was so good.
Once we got back, I went to the pool while Travis went to watch some of the races. I started Five Star Weekend.
I went back to the room and ate lunch before heading to the beach for a couple of hours.
I went back to the room to clean up and take a quick nap before dinner.
We were meeting a few of Trav’s clients (who have truly become friends) at Ken’s Sushi. One of the clients did all the ordering for us, and we ate so much delicious sushi. Cali sushi can’t be beat!
We got back to our place around 7:30 just in time to catch the 7:45 sunset.
Look at all those surfers out there at sunset…in this pic, it looks like sharks!
It was a great full day of relaxation.
Friday:
I had another easy going morning while Travis went and watched the horses work out.
Then, I did a work out in room before going to the pool for a bit.
I had the whole pool to myself.
Then, Travis and I walked to Del Mar pizza for lunch.
Then, we both went to the beach for a bit…
…before heading to Del Mar Race Track. The weather was beautiful, and we hung out on the veranda for a bit. Then, we watched some races from a box and even went to the paddock to check on one of the horses before the race. Beer Can Man placed second; he lost by a nose.
I wish we’d gotten a pic together that day since we looked nice…but we were busy, I guess.
Then, we went to dinner at Tony Jacal’s. We’d never been there before, but it was so good!
Back at the room, I packed up a bit and finished my book.
Saturday:
Of course, I adjusted to the time change by the last day…it was nice to sleep in a bit and not be rushed to the airport.
I read for a bit and drank my coffee while enjoying the views one last time.
Trav went for a jog, and I walked on the beach for a bit.
We packed up and checked out by 11.
Since we knew it was going to be a long travel day, we wanted to have a good lunch. Another fave spot is The Brigantine which overlooks the water and race track.
I had one more round of fish tacos.
Since we had a few more minutes to kill, we walked on the beach one more time.
…and then headed to the airport.
Thankfully, everything was on time, and we had a very quick flight to Phoenix.
Since we had a two hour layover in Phoenix, we sat down for dinner before boarding our flight.
The flight was pretty bumpy and the pilot even flew around to try to avoid some bad weather. Our flight was supposed to land at 11:59 pm, but it landed at 12:15am. Honestly, given how travel is these days, that was no big deal.
We caught an Uber to my dad’s house, and finally went to bed at 1:30…before waking up the next day, re-uniting with the kids and driving the 8 1/2 hours back to Lex.
It really was a great trip, and I’m thankful for my KC fam keeping the kids busy.
I have dreams of spending a few weeks in Del Mar in the summer…it may have to wait until I retire, but we’ll see!
Thanks for following along on this trip!
(Also, I haven’t forgotten about the gift card I owe one of you! I will get that figured out and hope to announce in tomorrow’s post!)
Two days of professional development down and two to go! So far, so good.
I was going to link up for Let’s Look, but the topic is worst habits which I already covered in one of my blog challenge posts.
So, today going to recap our visit to Kansas City last week.
As the kids have gotten older, summer has seemed to get busier. We usually get to KC in the summer to see family, but this summer took a bit of orchestrating schedule-wise.
Travis was in Saratoga, NY (for work/fun) and then had to go to California (for work) (with a few nights back in Lexington in between), so the kids and I drove to KC on our own.
In all my trips to KC with the kids, I think this is only the second time it was just the kids and me. Obviously, that meant I had to do all the driving…haha
Look at my co-pilots!
Thankfully, our nine hour drive was uneventful!
We arrived in KC on Sunday evening and made a pit stop at my dad’s. Then, we picked up dinner before going to my mom’s house. We ate and hung out and then Hadley and I stayed at my dad’s house while Hayden slept at my mom’s.
On Monday, we had some downtime before going to my mom’s house. While there, I went on a walk. The temps in KC can be pretty hot this time of the year, but it wasn’t too hot that day.
Later, we went to my Gma’s house for dinner. We looked through some old photos, and Hadley found this one with my brother being silly.
We had lasagna and then played Phase 10. I’d never played it before, and we all liked it.
We also enjoyed some Crumbl cookies we picked up for dessert.
The kids and I went back to my dad’s for bed.
On Tuesday, we all slept in a bit, and then Hayden had to do a track workout. Since we didn’t have Coach Travis with us, Hadley subbed in for the job.
He had to run 100, 200, etc. a few times at a certain pace. Hadley was his timer, but did a warm up jog with him.
I walked the track while they did the workout.
Tuesday afternoon, we ran some errands, went to my mom’s house and then I packed for my California trip.
The kids wanted to go to my Gma’s house again, so we picked up dinner and went to her house. We played Phase 10 again and hung out for a bit. I took the kids to my mom’s house and told them goodbye before heading back to my dad’s to go to bed because…
I had an early flight and he was taking me.
I don’t want this to be too big of a flex…but look who packed a carry on again for a flight!!
(I will share more about this next week, but Hadley did help me pack…and it was still pretty tight. Since my smallest luggage is a medium size suitcase, I packed it for KC and then pared what I wanted to take to California into Hadley’s carry-on suitcase. It’s not that I needed much more for my couple days in KC, but it’s hard packing for a week with hot and then mild/cooler temps! Anyway, we made it work!)
On Wednesday, while I was gone, my mom took Hadley with her to workout while Hayden ran. Then, she took the kids to the neighborhood pool, but I guess they were only there an hour or so before storms rolled in. They also went shopping because one of the local stores had Super Bowl athleticwear on sale.
On Thursday, they met my Gma and aunt for lunch and more shopping…(at this point, I told the kids to quit running up a tab…haha)
Thursday evening, my mom got Hadley a volleyball lesson with former collegiate player. My mom is friends with the player’s mom, so that was a fun way for Hadley (and Hayden) to burn some energy.
On Friday, the kids went to my dad’s house for a bit. Hayden got in his track workout, and then they went to Culver’s for lunch.
That afternoon, my mom took the kids to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, and they had a good time.
My mom said Hayden was blown away by the Van Gogh paintings.
Afterwards, they played putt putt.
On Saturday, Hayden had his long run and then my mom and Hadley went to my aunt’s house for her stamping class. On Sunday, Hadley was excited to show me all the cards she made.
That afternoon, they went swimming and ate BBQ at my Gma’s house.
Travis and I were to arrive in KC at 11:59 PM, but our flight landed around 12:15.
By the time we got off the plane and took an Uber, it was 1:30 before my head hit the pillow.
We didn’t set an alarm, but we wanted to get up at a decent time on Sunday. I was up around 7:30 and Travis was up around 8. We went to my mom’s to get the kids. They were excited to see Travis because they hadn’t seen him in 10 days.
We packed them up, said goodbye to my mom before heading to my dad’s house to get our stuff. We were on the road around 9:45 and made good time back to Lexington.
I didn’t want to jinx it because I know travel can be wonky right now, but thankfully our air travel was pretty seamless this summer with our trip to Florida and then KC to California. Travis had some slight issues on his flight to Saratoga, but otherwise, it all worked out.
I’d say that we all enjoyed our trips. The kids had a really great time with a good mix of downtime, family time, craft, sports, culture and more! I was thankful for Trav being there to help on the drive home. We were tired and happy to get home to Homer.
How was your week? We’ve definitely made the most of my last official week of summer.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are a few favorites:
The kids got to hang out with their uncle and cousin at a photo shoot for UK volleyball.
They had so much fun, and Hadley was excited to meet Azhani Tealer.
Travis and I have been in California since Wednesday, and it’s been so nice to have some down time before heading back to school.
He’s here for work, and I tagged along. I’ve had some beach time…
…and pool time.
The weather and views have been amazing.
Also…
Today’s a big day…it’s the 4th blogiversary of Show Me and Sweet Tea.
I don’t take for granted this community, and writing these blog posts is still my favorite hobby!
As a thank you, I will send a $40 gift card to one of you to Target, Trader Joe’s, or Amazon.
By end of day Sunday, just share a favorite thing you’ve done this summer in the comment section of this post for a chance to win.
Please bear with me with heading back to school on Monday and getting my life together after being gone all week. It might be a couple of days before I announce the winner.
Truly, thank you for reading my posts, commenting and making this space a fun corner for the internet for me.
Favorite Kid Quote:
On Tuesday, when Hadley looked at her phone, she said, “Ewww! It’s August 1st.” I could definitely relate 😆
Favorite Mom Meme:
This one made me laugh…
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts from this week in case you missed one:
I hope your week is off to a great start. I have one more post recapping our vacation in Siesta Key. I shared part 1 last week, and have two more days to share today.
Wednesday:
I enjoyed my coffee before going for a walk in the morning.
It was hot, but the views were pretty!
We had a quick lunch at the house before going to the beach. Hadley wanted a smoothie bowl, so we stopped for one as well as sweatshirt shopping
We went to Turtle Beach for a few hours that afternoon. I really do love that beach because it’s only steps from the parking lot to the sand…and it’s not very crowded.
A fellow beach-goer saw me taking the girls’ picture and offered to take one of the three of use. She probably thought both girls were my daughters. haha
I had a great time with the girls.
(How cute is my “beach” ball cap? Remember when we took the kids to the outlet malls…Hadley went into Simply Southern and I saw it…I think it was $6! I figured, why not? Also, sometimes I have a hard time wearing my favorite sunglasses with ball caps, so that one fits perfectly for that too.)
I finished a book and started a new one while the girls swam and floated on the boogie boards.
We were there a couple of hours before a storm started brewing. Truly, this view was behind me and I had no clue. It was sunny and blue skies while I watched the girls float on the boogie boards, and Hadley pointed behind me and said, “Mom look!” We stayed until it was obvious we should pack up.
We were at the house for a bit before heading to the Lobster Pot for dinner. This is Hadley’s favorite place to eat. I showed her the pic from 2019, and of course she wanted to recreate it.
After dinner, we went back to the house. The girls were tired, so I went and caught the sunset. When I sent them the pic of the rainbow, they wished they’d joined me…haha
…I sent Hadley a selfie…
I’ll never get over how the sunset at the same spot of the beach can look so different night to night…
and…the lighting can change so much in a matter of minutes…
Then, I picked the girls up, and we headed for ice cream at Orange Octopus.
Like every other night, I read and they hung out and watched tv before bed.
Thursday:
As many times as we’ve been to Siesta Key, we’ve never been on the water. I was able to book us on a morning two hour boat ride…”morning dolphin cruise.” So, we were at the marina early to check in and get on the boat.
The captain was funny and knowledgeable.
In the first thirty minutes we passed quite a few “famous” houses.
Top left: Prince’s former house (in the foreground, you can see the edge of the purple pool)
Top right: Andre Agassi’s former house. There’s a gold lion head until the second level windows.
Middle left: Urban Meyer’s current house.
Middle right: Tommy Bahama’s house (can’t remember if it’s his current house)
Bottom left: The guy who has the patent for the Swatch Watch built that house.
Bottom right: The most expensive house in Siesta Key – $30 million…and guess how many bedrooms it has—2!
…the view of Sarasota was neat.
They stopped at one point and let everyone go to the front of the boat to snap pics if they wanted.
Besides us, there was a group of four and then a family six.
I thought this was so cool…the captain said this dog walker/day care brings the dogs to play on this sandbar. The pups were having the best time.
So, we were on the lookout for dolphins with not much luck…and then, on our way back, almost to the marina, we saw three dolphins right in front of Prince’s house! It was cool to see…but hard to catch in a picture.
After the boat ride, it was lunchtime, so we headed to the village for pizza.
The girls were full and tired, so they hung at the house, while I went to the beach for a couple of hours. I was able to read my book, and enjoy the view.
For dinner, we ate Mexican food at the Hub which is another favorite.
Then, we went to catch one last sunset.
The girls played spike ball again, and…
Hadley found a sand dollar. It was alive, so she just showed it to me, and put it back.
We hung out for as long as we could.
I always hate saying “goodbye” to the beach.
There were clouds rolling in, and the girls were being silly.
The sky colors changed so quickly…
…and even the walk back to the car was so pretty.
On the way home, we stopped for gelato at another favorite place in the village.
Then, we tidied up and packed our suitcases before just relaxing the rest of the night.
Friday :
We were up around 7, so we could leave by 8.
It’s a family “tradition” to take a pic in front of the palm trees at the house before we leave. I took this pic earlier in the week because they both had their new sweatshirts on…haha
Our rental car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee for the week…and I really loved it.
Honestly, I was expecting a four door sedan, but at the car rental rep gave me a few choices and mentioned the jeep, so I went for it.
Side note — Hadley’s “dream” car is a jeep…(a real jeep), so I was excited that they had this Grand Cherokee option, so I didn’t tell the girls which car was ours until we got to the parking spot…but it was parked right next to Hadley’s dream car jeep…lol
Also, my dad drove a white Grand Jeep Cherokee for many years –actually 17 I think!…so this was a fun blast from the past.
We stopped in the village at Meaney’s Mini Donuts and Coffee House before hitting the road.
I can’t believe how seamless the trip was in regards to checking in/security flights being on time, picking up and dropping off the car, etc. Each way, from leaving the house, arriving at the airport one hour before departure, the two hour flight and getting home was five hours total…and no issues.
And…did I mention, for the first time ever, I packed a carry-on suitcase? This milestone needs to be remembered…haha
Thanks for following along on our little girls vacay. We had a great time.
Well, we’ve been back a few days, so I’m recapping the first couple of days of the little vacay that Hadley and I went on last week.
We’ve been going to Siesta Key off and on for years. Trav’s aunt has a house there, and she’s so gracious to offer it to family whenever it’s available.
The kids have fond memories, favorite restaurants, and we always enjoy our time there.
While Hayden was a running camp, Travis suggested that Hadley and I go for a few days. At first I hesitated, but since Hayden had been to the beach with his friend, and Hadley wanted to go to the beach, I decided to go for it…especially when I saw easy flights to and from Lexington.
While we usually fly there, sometimes, the flights are really early or late, and these were just right. Hadley was able to bring a friend, so that was an added bonus!
Monday:
Our flight left Lexington at 1:30, so we arrived at the airport at 12:30.
BIG NEWS, y’all…I packed a carry on suitcase for the plane…for the first time ever! To be honest, besides being so convenient, it was thrilling. (I really I need a life. haha…This just felt like such a great achievement!)
The flight is less than two hours, we landed, got a rental car and drove the hour to Siesta Key. We were to the house around 5:30…just in time for me to receive my first ever Instacart order! I’d never done this before, and it was so great to arrive and have groceries!
I just knew we’d be there around dinnertime, and I didn’t want to get to the house and then spend an hour shopping. I’m so glad that I did this.
We unpacked, and the girls wanted to go to the beach quickly before dinner. It had just rained, but it was still so pretty out.
Then, we headed to the Daiquiri Deck which is a fave. We were so hungry, so we split some chicken nachos, and then ordered food for dinner too…as well a a daiquiri…(virgin for the girls, of course)
Then, Hadley suggested we drive to Turtle Beach which we discovered on our last trip there. It’s an easier beach to navigate with only a few steps from the car to the sand….and it’s just so pretty!
We were there about thirty minutes, and it was just so nice.
Look at the sunset photo Hadley took! Stunning.
….and a beach selfie before we left.
Once we got back to the house, the girls swam for a bit and then watched tv until bedtime.
Tuesday:
I ran to the grocery store for a few odds and ends, and then I worked out.
We had a quick lunch at home before heading to the beach.
We went to Siesta Key Beach around 12:30
The girls swam and hung out on the boogie boards for a couple of hours while I read.
Then, we went back to the house and swam a bit before showering before dinner.
We went to SKOB (Siesta Key Oyster Bar). While here, I did miss the boys…they love the oysters here.
After dinner, the girls wanted to shop a bit, and each got a t-shirt. Then, they got some ice cream. Ice cream at Olaf’s is a must. (According to Hadley 😉 )
We went back to the house for a bit before going to the beach for the sunset. They played smash ball, we went for a walk, and then went back to the house after the sun set.
There was a sandbar between the beach and the ocean, and they had fun going to and from the sandbar to play.
It’s always amazing to me how the sky looks different every night for sunset.
The girls watched tv, and I read until bedtime.
And…then it was time for Be Real…I made it in the nightly photo. haha
I can’t believe my summer Fridays are slipping away! I’m trying to make the most of what we have left of summer break.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
This post will be pretty short and sweet because Hadley and I have been in one of our favorite places this week: Siesta Key, Florida. She brought a friend along too!
Here are a few of our favorite photos:
Monday night’s sunset was stunning.
We had a great time.
Siesta Key girl!
Living her best life…
A book at the beach is one of my favorite things.
As many times as we’ve been here, we’ve never been out on the water. I booked a two hour morning cruise yesterday, and we spotted dolphins …in front of Prince’s former beach house…peep the purple pool!
I was 4 for 4 catching the sunset which is my favorite thing to do.
And this was the view on the way back to the car last night. Stunning.
We had a great few days at the beach.
and…I think these girls have had lots of fun this week…Of course they’ve added a new sweatshirt to their collection 😆
While Hadley and I have been away, Hayden has been at running camp. Travis called me after he dropped him off and said that I shouldn’t expect much from him when we take him to college. Hayden was ready to roll and had no issues with saying goodbye 😆
I guess that’s what we want as parents, right? …for them to want to be independent and spread their wings.
Hadley has always been my more extroverted child while Hayden tends to be more introverted and a homebody. So while Hadley was always excited for camp, Hayden never really showed any interest until this year.
I’m happy he is going to camp on his own terms because then I don’t have to worry about him at all.
I can’t wait to see him though and hear all about it.
Friday Find:
On Instagram, I just recently found @matteicheldinger who is a middle school teacher. You must check him out if you don’t follow him already.
His student stories are funny, uplifting, inspirational. and he’s such a good story teller!
Flashback Friday:
Since we’ve been in Siesta Key this week, here are a few throwback photos…
A family photo in 2016…
This pic from the same 2016 trip is one of my favorites….
Every time we come to SK, Hadley wants to eat at the Lobster Pot.
Here she is in 2019 and 2023 😆
Weekly Recap:
I was a busy blogger this week. Also, thanks for all the love about Hadley’s hair tutorial…She appreciated the compliments.
What are your weekend plans? Well, it’s back to reality for us. Once we get home, I will have to unpack and get a few things accomplished, both at home and at school.
This has been a fun week with Hadley, but I’ve missed the guys…
I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Well, instead of my more traditional Friday Favorites post, I’m sharing the details of our trip to Julep Farm last week. This is definitely a favorite place, and one that I hope we visit again.
A little back story: A co-worker of Trav’s told him about Julep Farms, and Travis gave me a gift card to Julep Farms for Christmas 2021. I’d never heard of it, but appreciated the gift, of course. All along, I’d hoped we could visit there in the fall, but I’m not sure what I was thinking…the fall is probably our busiest time of the year. I had kind of forgotten about it, but Travis organized this trip since my mom was available to stay with the kids a couple of extra days when she was visiting.
We don’t do the best job at getting away just the two of us, so this was a great trip to do so and celebrate our anniversary and Trav’s birthday a bit early.
So…here are the details.
Last week, we left on Tuesday morning around 10:00. Thankfully, we had an uneventful car ride and arrived around 3:00.
Super cute scene as we pulled in…
On the property, there are four cottages, and one bigger one across the road. We saw that they are actually building three more cottages, so there will be more options soon. We were staying in the Magnolia cottage. (There is one named “Sweet Tea”…seems like that’s the one we should have stayed in…haha…but really it’s bigger and sleeps six…I guess we didn’t need that one)
Totally my vibe!
I loved the little touches like the mugs, welcome note and popcorn, and the print of the property. Upon seeing the mug, I told Travis I had to have one to take home!
We unpacked and sat on the front porch for a bit.
Then, we walked around the property. There was a large venue that I’m sure people rent for parties and weddings. Next to it, was a silo and seating area as well as a garden.
The “Social House” is where the gift shop, coffee/breakfast bar is as well as the restaurant.
We headed back to the cottage to change for dinner.
While I knew Julep Farms was in Dillard, GA, I hadn’t really looked on the map. Travis had done his “research” and knew that Highlands and Cashiers, NC were nearby. Eventually, when I looked at the map, I could see that Dillard is close to Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina borders.
Anyway, we took the twisty route to Highlands, NC for dinner. It’s a super cute town.
We stopped in Four 65 for a drink and apps. It was really nice to sit on the patio. I was surprised by the cooler temps.
Then, we walked around a bit, and Travis made a reservation for dinner at a restaurant we saw on our walk. Since there was a wait, we popped in to The Ugly Dog for a drink. Since we weren’t going to stay long, we sat at the bar.
Well, while at the bar, we met Billy who chatted…and chatted…and chatted while he had his dinner. He raved about the food at The Ugly Dog and had clearly taken advantage of the half price bottle of wine that is the Tuesday special. lol
Anyway, after our drive to Highlands, we knew we wanted to be back “down the mountain” by dark, so we went ahead and ate at the bar. I had one of the specials, porcini and truffle ravioli with chicken, and it was good. Billy was right! 😉
There were two “scenic overlooks” on the way back to Julep Farms…and I made Travis pull over at both.
Like…how could we not stop and take in these views?
Julep Farms even looks pretty at night!
We sat on the porch for a few minutes before heading to bed.
It was so so nice to sleep in on Wednesday morning. I didn’t get up until close to 9. I enjoyed sitting on the porch with my coffee.
Travis did too…
To be honest, I’m not sure what Dillard, GA has to offer as we spent most of our time on the farm or in NC. That being said, Travis found Veronica’s Cafe in a strip mall off the highway, and we couldn’t wait to eat breakfast.
He got biscuits and gravy, and I ordered pancakes and more coffee. It really hit the spot!
Once we got back to Julep Farm, we stopped in the Social House to check out the gift shop and coffee bar.
Then, we got ready for our hike. We drove to Highlands to Whiteside Mountain. Travis had found a two mile hike. The first mile was a “gradual” incline to the top, and then the return trip was more scenic and downhill.
We made it to the top!
We hiked a bit more and took in the views.
The night before, Billy had told us about Whiteside Brewing Co in Cashiers, so we had planned on going there for lunch. Well, as we made our way to Cashiers, we realized Wednesday was the one day the brewing company was closed.
Pivot!…we ended up at Slabtown Pizza, and it was such a cute restaurant in the village. We split a BBQ chicken pizza.
Then, we headed to a waterfall in Highlands called Dry Falls which is in the Nantahala National Forest.
Travis knows I love a waterfall!
We didn’t have to hike to this one…we just parked a walked a bit down the trail…
It was so pretty…
There was a path to the other side, and it was cool to be behind the waterfall too.
After that, we headed back to Julep Farms and relaxed a bit before dinner.
Since we had no kids (Hadley!) on this trip, we had to rely on a timed selfie on the porch…it was nice to capture a pic since we were dressed up a bit…
We made our way to the restaurant on the property at the Social House. We sat at the bar for an appetizer before sitting outside for dinner.
The views (and the weather!) were amazing…as was the food.
After dinner, we sat on the porch for a couple of hours. I could have taken 100 pics of these sunset views.
Besides the planning, Travis packed a few extras for us including snacks, the cooler, my favorite blanket, and this lovely bottle of wine. It’s a very nice bottle of wine that a client gave him, and we weren’t sure when we’d drink it…
…but I guess he figured this trip would be the perfect time to do so.
Cheers to a couple of great days away!
The next morning, we took it easy. I drank my coffee and read for about an hour before we packed up and headed home.
We definitely could have stayed at least one more day. What would we have done? Probably much of the same…another slow morning, another hike, another good lunch…probably at the brewery we didn’t get to, a nap, and maybe dinner at the place we didn’t get to the first night! While I love getting home, on short trips, I typically wish we stayed one more day.
Not shockingly, I did come home with a mug…in my favorite color.
It’s easier said than done, but I’d love to make this a place we go back to through the years.
Weekly Recap:
Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one…
I’m linking up with Andrea to tell you a bit about it.
Here are a few favorites from the week:
Hadley’s recital pics came in, and I couldn’t love them more. There were so many good ones, but these are the two I ordered:
Last weekend was super busy, and all of Sunday was spent at Hadley’s dance recitals. Her studio had two recitals. The first recital was the one where she had most of her dances, so my mom, Trav’s mom, Trav’s two sisters, and Travis and Hayden came to it. She danced in the large production opening number, one small group competition dance, two ballet, one tap, one jazz, and the closing number.
For the later performance, she was in the large production opening number, her other small group lyrical competition dance, and the closing number.
I loved all the colors in the background of each dance…so pretty!
So, over nine hours at the recital venue for two recitals with ten dances and seven costumes, she was one tired girl!
Hadley was also recognized for five years dancing at her studio.
We snapped a few pics after the first recital before grabbing a bite to eat. Then, my mom and I stayed for the second recital. We were all very proud of her.
Monday I had a busy day at school, Hayden played a round of golf with friends, and Hadley was at the pool for most of the day.
My mom continued her visit and watched the kids while Travis and I took a little trip.
We spent a few days at Julep Farms in Dillard, Georgia. I’m sure I will write a whole post about it, but it was a lovely getaway.
We stayed in the Magnolia cottage…
…which had the loveliest views.
Wednesday night, we even had dinner on the property.
Since we were dressed up a bit, we did a selfie using the timer on my phone. I sure missed having Hadley to take our photos…she always gets the high angle…haha
This one turned out pretty good!
Favorite Outfit:
I think I shared this SSYS dress when I got it in the spring, but this summer I’ve used it as a swim cover-up a couple of times, but then wore it to my brother’s birthday party on Saturday. I also got this belt bag recently…I wanted one that was a little bigger than my Lulu one, and this one is perfect.
Favorite Mom Meme:
Haha…I shared a similar meme last week…but this one also made me laugh.
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
My sister-in-law had these cups made for my brother’s birthday party last Saturday…This “throwback” pic is too funny…
Weekly Recap
I only had a couple of posts this week, but they were fun link ups!
What are your weekend plans? Today, I’m playing catch up from being gone for a couple of days…and I need to prep a bit for the summer school sessions I’m running the next couple of weeks.
Of course, on Sunday, we’ll celebrate Travis for Father’s Day. My dad received his gift yesterday and is probably using it while watching the US Open.
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